Tell me about your PP job

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2017

I just have 3-5 couplets. My day includes mom and baby assessments, lots and lots of teaching , neds, baby on iv abt( the nnp or nicu nurses places lines), car seat tests, baths, vaccines, handling emergencies that come up, babies in photherapy. The list goes on. I love being a PP nurse .

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2017

I work on a unit where we are trained to PP and L&D and float back and forth, but many hospitals have them as separate units. When in PP I start out assessing moms and babies (I usually have 3-4 couplets, sometimes 5). There are not a lot of meds to give, mostly PRNs for pain. I do a lot of breastfeeding support. PKUs take some time to get the hang of, but once you figure it out, it's not too hard. If one of our babies needs an IV, the NICU nurses or providers place it. I also help with circs, give baby baths, do a lot of education with the parents, keep track of feeds, etc.

The scariest part of PP is postpartum hemorrhages. Medically complex patients (moms and babies) can be a challenge. Sometimes I have a post op with a PCA pump, on a mag gtt who needs labetolol and requires very frequent assessments. It's time consuming, especially when you have other couplets with issues to keep track of. Babies with blood sugar issues can be stressful too, as well as NAS babies.

That being said, I used to work med/surg and PP is 10x better, even on my worst days there.

AmberK1026, ADN, BSN · Jul 26, 2017

I am a new grad working on a PP floor. My day is much like ashleyisawesome's post. Our L&D and PP units are seperate and if a PP nurse floats to L&D it is to do recovery after a mom has given birth. I won't be able to float until I have been there for 6 months and as PP nurses we also float to NICU and Newborn nursery.

boquiabierta · Jul 28, 2017

I have 3-4 couplets on average. 5 would be totally crazy and unsafe. Even 4 is pushing it and makes me feel like I often can't provide needed support if say breastfeeding isn't going well. 3 is ideal.

An average day: baby assessments, postpartum assessments, meds, breastfeeding, lots and lots of teaching. Glucose checks for babies on hypoglycemia protocol. Weights, baths, Tcbs occasionally though usually the PCA handles those. More breastfeeding. Phototherapy sometimes. Circs. Vaccines. Making sure mom can pee. Foley/perineal care and the occasional straight cath. Car seats. Even more breastfeeding. Trying to run interference for moms who are worried they're not producing enough and want to introduce formula that really isn't medically necessary. Balancing the requirements of "baby friendly" with the practical demands of the job. Did I mention breastfeeding??

Oh, and of course, dealing with the occasional postpartum hemorrhage or baby in respiratory distress, which are definitely the most challenging parts of the job. They are expected emergencies, but they don't really happen often enough for me to feel comfortable in those situations, and each emergency is different. I'm certified in neonatal resuscitation but I've never even had to give a baby blow-by. A baby in true respiratory distress, the kind that can't be resolved with back blows and bulb syringes (which is >99% of the cases I see) absolutely terrifies me.

If a baby needs an IV they would go to the NICU, we don't do IV antibxs in well baby, though I hear that may be changing. We also don't currently take mag pts (we have a high-risk maternity sister unit) though that may also be changing.

We do have to float occasionally to L&D or the high-risk maternity floor, but if you go to L&D you'd either be in the postpartum area or taking care of babies, and if you go to the high-risk floor you'd probably be handling maternity overflow, the babies of high-risk moms, or a high-risk postpartum pt not on mag. Or you'd just be "helping hands" i.e. doing vitals and such.